XIII (comic book)
Encyclopedia
XIII is a Franco-Belgian comics
series written and drawn by Belgians
Jean Van Hamme
and William Vance
, revolving around an amnesia
c protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. With its plot inspired by Robert Ludlum
's book The Bourne Identity, XIII was initially serialised in 1984 in Spirou
, and was later published by Dargaud
. In 2003, the storyline of the first five volumes was adapted into a video game, also titled XIII
, that was released on several platforms. A XIII
TV miniseries starring Val Kilmer
and Stephen Dorff
was released in 2008, and another 13 episode TV series called XIII - The Series
starring Stuart Townsend
and Aisha Tyler
premiered on Canal+
in France on 18 April 2011.
. In 2005, Alias Comics
started publishing it as a monthly comics edited for U.S. audiences, but stopped after 5 issues. In 2007, Dabel Brothers Productions
in association with Marvel Comics
published an uncensored XIII Volume 1 TP collecting the first three albums, and previously released issue #6 free online. English
titles below are translations of the original titles, and may change for the actual albums if and when they are released in English.
Most volumes consisted of three individual issues during the initial run, not otherwise named or numbered.
, suffering from amnesia
, and just the tattoo
"XIII" on his collarbone to link him to his past. Volumes one through five deal with 'XIII' searching for his identity and his past, only to find himself confronting the "conspiracy of the XX
" which aims to a coup d'état
in the United States. They form a closed story arc, ending with the destruction of "the XX".
In the first volume, XIII washes ashore and soon finds himself hunted by assassins for reasons unknown to him. He manages to escape them and collect a photograph of himself in company of a woman, developed by a photograph shop in the city of Eastown. XIII departs to Eastown, where he identifies the woman on the photograph as Kim Rowland, widow of U.S. Army Captain Steve Rowland. Going to Kim Rowland's address, XIII finds a hidden message left by Kim saying that someone nicknamed "the Mongoose" has found track of her and that she will wait for XIII "where the Indian goes". Once again hunted by killers, XIII is rescued by the Colonel Amos, a government agent investigating the murder of President of the United States
William Sheridan. Colonel Amos has a video footage showing XIII killing the President and so is sure he has caught the assassin, but he still ignores its real identity. XIII manages to escape, and on his run, is confronted by the Mongoose, the chief of the killers hunting XIII.
In the second volume, XIII's search for Kim Rowland leads to his capture by army General Carrington, who identifies XIII as Steve Rowland, Kim Rowland's husband and former member of a special operation unit called SPADS (Special Assault and Destroying Sections) Carrington created and commanded when Rowland was supposedly killed in an helicopter crash two years before. "Rowland" is returned to his home in Southbourg by Carrington's aide, Lieutenant Jones. While his father, Jeremie Rowland, a rich land owner, and other relatives express no doubt about his identity, XIII is disappointed to not find Kim there. Amos comes to meet XIII and still holds him as his prime suspect as his fingerprints were found on the sniper rifle that shot President Sheridan. But as XIII's amnesia prevents him to be of any use to find who has sponsored Sheridan's assassination, Amos lets XIII go looking for Kim Rowland because as she's hiding, he suspects she knows something important. XIII finally manages to find "where the Indian goes", but is tricked by Jeremie Rowland's young wife Felicity. Felicity kills Jeremie Rowland and Steve's uncle Matt, implicating XIII for the murders, in the aim to inherit of Jeremy's fortune. XIII nevertheless escapes the police with Carrington's and Lieutenant Jones' help, and meets with Kim in her hiding place. Kim reveals to him she is tattooed as well, wearing tattoo number XVII, that she doesn't know XIII real name, who is in fact no Steve Rowland. Kim disappears as XIII is arrested by the police, tried and found guilty for the murder of the Rowlands, and sentenced to maximum security prison.
The third volume finds XIII in a facility for the criminally insane. Meanwhile Colonel Amos, pursuing its investigation, begin to realize that XIII is not Steve Rowland but a body double
. He so assumes that Steve Rowland was really killed in action and that XIII endured plastic surgery, assassinated President Sheridan, and the Mongoose tried to kill him to leave the investigators a body to be identified as Steve Rowland to drive the investigation into a dead end. Colonel Amos requests Carrington's help to identify people having been trained as top-level special operators and fitting XIII's physique, in the aim to find out XIII's real identity. Carrington provides the papers of about twenty people, one of them, a Ross Tanner, is missing since two years. Amos decides to leave XIII in prison to have him at hand and have him treated to disrupt its amnesia. The treatment fails, and the Mongoose tries to have XIII killed in the prison. To evade Mongoose's killer, XIII attempts an evasion which fails but Carrington and Jones manage to breakout XIII.
Volume four begins with Colonel Amos finding that Carrington invented the Tanner identity, and suspects him to be part of the conspiracy to kill President Sheridan. XIII, under the name of Ross Tanner, has been hidden by Carrington in a SPADS training facility in the fictitious country of San Miguel. Pursuing its check of files, Colonel Amos finds that in the grave of a Jason Fly was in fact the body of the real Captain Steve Rowland, not killed in an helicopter crash two years before but by bullets shortly after the assassination of President Sheridan. Assuming now that Rowland was the real assassin, Amos is confused about XIII real role but exposes Judge Allenby, who once identified one body in helicopter crash as the one of Rowland and is now chief of the investigation, as one of the conspirators, wearing the number VI. Amos asks Allenby the name of the Number I of the conspiracy, but Allenby is killed by a Mongoose's killer who is about to kill Amos when he is shot by Kim Rowland. Meanwhile a female SPADS Sergeant named Betty Barnowsky reveals to XIII she has seen once Steve Rowland in Eastown after his alleged death in helicopter crash, in company with SPADS Colonel Seymour McCall, thus exposed as member of the conspiracy. XIII, Barnowsky and Jones escape an assassination attempt by Colonel McCall, but end lost in San Miguel jungle.
Kim Rowland takes Amos to FBI director Carl Heideger and General Carrington who reveal that after faking his death in the helicopter crash, Steve Rowland contacted his wife Kim and had her member of the conspiracy. Kim, not sharing the conspiracy ideology and herself a former FBI agent, secretly alerted his former boss Heideger, who was nevertheless unable to prevent the assassination of President Sheridan. Steve Rowland was shot by the Mongoose to end all investigations to uncover the conspiracy, but he escaped badly wounded and died shortly after telling Kim what happened. Heideger and Carrington then came up with a plan to make the conspiracy of the XX believe that Steve Rowland had survived to attract Mongoose's killers in the hope to arrest them and follow their trail to the conspirators. They had Jason Fly turned into Steve Rowland's double, but soon after he disappeared (he was shot, at this point lost his memory, where the story begins). Kim Rowland is also revealed to be Carrington's daughter.
At the start of volume five, XIII, Jones, and Barnowsky kidnap Marquis de Préseau, a rich land owner, to steal his jet to fly back to the USA. Meanwhile Carrington and Heideger have been arrested by the conspirators, as they prepare to take over the country during a large-scale military exercise. XIII and the women meet with Colonel Amos, who brings them into contact with Walter Sheridan, brother of the assassinated President William Sheridan and himself candidate to the presidency.
Sheridan helps XIII infiltrate the military center of operations, and together with President Galbrain they manage to stop the conspiracy at the last moment. The entire conspiracy, with the exception of the illustrious Number I, has been killed or captured. Walter Sheridan is elected president. Kim Rowland remains missing for unknown reasons. At the end of the story arc XIII believes he has found his old identity as Jason Fly, and is prepared to continue his life normally, even if his memories have not yet returned.
, where the story revolves around the fate of his father in the McCarthian
1950's. XIII learns that his father, Jonathan Fly, was murdered by the local Ku Klux Klan
chapter, after they found out Fly's real identity was Jonathan MacLane, a "red" journalist
who had to flee after suffering under McCarthy's witch hunt. The Mongoose still tracks XIII with the blessing of Jonathan MacLane's assassins, but XIII evades the manhunt, get justice for the murder of his father and manages to arrest the Mongoose, who reveals that he was on Number I's boat when he shot the bullet that made XIII amnesic, but no further information about Number I. The story ends and with a good idea that he has finally found his true identity as Jason MacLane.
In volume eight, XIII is approached by President Sheridan to become a special agent, charged with finding the still at large Number I. The Mongoose escapes from custody. XIII tracks down Kim Rowland, guessing she hides because she knows the identity of the Number I. He discovers that one of the boats close to the spot where he was found amnesic is Walter Sheridan's yacht. Meanwhile, Jones investigates further, and discovers that Kim Rowland had a love affair with Sheridan and had a child with him. After transmitting this information to XIII, they become convinced that Wally Sheridan was, in fact, Number I, and used the conspiracy of the XX to have his brother killed and later had the conspiracy exposed so he himself become president. Walter Sheridan had the child kidnapped to force Kim to marry Steve Rowland, to report the conspiracy to Heideger, to betray Jason Fly/MacLane when Heideger's plan threatened to expose him as Number I and have him trapped on his yacht where he was shot by the Mongoose. After trying to release Kim Rowland from an island where they believe she is sequestered, XIII and Jones, along with Kim, are caught by the Mongoose who is on Sheridan's yacht, and explodes it. XIII manages to rescue Jones only, and Kim Rowland is lost and presumed dead.
XIII finally faces Walter Sheridan, exposed as Number I but XIII has not any evidence or witness against him. Sheridan won't try to assassinate XIII to avoid a new investigation that might lead to expose him, and XIII and Jones leave the country.
where XIII is led to believe he once led a revolution
under the identity of "El Cascador", although El Cascador is supposedly dead. XIII gets involved with revolutionary Maria de los Santos, who claims to have been his wife. During the 10th episode, after freeing her from a prison from which she was awaiting execution, she confirms him to be her husband.
During the revolution XIII met up with Irish-American expat Sean Mullway, who claims to be XIII's real father. However, he also confirms XIII's identity as Jason MacLane. The history of XIII's Irish descent is revealed, and XIII learns that his mother was the sister of Giordino, who accidentally murdered her. The Giordino's are revealed as a Mafia
family. At the end of the volume, XIII is offered amnesty by the American ambassador
, who explains that XIII's help is needed: Carrington has apparently gone insane.
In volume twelve XIII, the corrupt American president Sheridan is kidnapped by General Carrington who has learnt that Sheridan ordered his daughter Kim's death. Carrington and Amos have XIII and Jones capture the Mongoose to get further evidence against Sheridan. In a televised "trial" Sheridan is revealed to the American public as the conspirator, with XIII and the Mongoose testifying. In the aftermath of the event the NSA director Giordino accidentally kills Sheridan, after Sheridan has killed the Mongoose.
Volume thirteen (XIII) is a special issue, where two journalists retrace the first twelve issues, clarifying and expanding the storyline.
by their ancestors. Giordino, meanwhile, fabricates evidence revealing XIII as Seamus O'Neill, an IRA operative who trained under Fidel Castro
. As O'Neill, XIII is wanted by the USA, but again manages to escape. He also survives an assassination by Irina Svetlanova, who has taken over the Mongoose's operation. After many setbacks the treasure is found, and then lost again. Meanwhile Giordino is finally removed from duty by the new President, who has received evidence from XIII and Mullway revealing Giordino as not only connected to the Mafia, but also as the true killer of Walter Sheridan.
Volumes eighteen and nineteen are the last albums written by Van Hamme. Volume eighteen The Irish Version was drawn by Jean Giraud
otherwise known as Mœbius. It figures as a story within the story, and it is referred to as part of the plot in volume nineteen The Last Round. This story is the prequel to the initial story arc, and finally solves all mysteries surrounding XIII's identity.
, XIII was an instant hit among Spirou readers. The first three episodes were released as a single hardback volume by Dargaud
the same year, a trend continued for later issues. By the time of the eighth issue, Thirteen against one, sales of the hardback had reached 140,000 copies, and the publisher belatedly realized that they had a bestseller on their hands. Promotion started, including a special drawing by the French national lottery in 2000 with 1,500,000 tickets and a €13,000 grand prize.
cop. An adventure published in 1999, Dieu seul le sait (Only God Knows), also has the titular character losing his memory, albeit for just a short time. References to the number "13" and other connections to the series appear throughout the story.
The Black Cat
manga series, first published in 2000, has numerous similarities with XIII. The main character, Train Heartnet, is known as Chronos Number XIII in his job as a Sweeper or assassin. Train fails a mission in Bourne Identity-like fashion, winds up in conflict with Chronos, and must stop a massive conspiracy.
, and translations in other languages such as German
, Polish
and Italian
quickly followed.
And they had published the complete volumes on Oct 2010.
The first issue The Day of The Black Sun was named O Dia do Sol Negro, the literal translation. The first issue also included a second episode, named Onde Vai o Índio... (Where the Indian Walks), published in May 2006. All Brazilian issues are composed of two albums, except for issue 7, which included the original thirteenth volume, a double-sized album, alone.
, who has already taken over writing Thorgal
from Van Hamme, is interested to continue the series. He was contacted by William Vance and said he'd propose a story to Van Hamme, but no agreement has been reached yet.
on October 3, 2008 with the release of the first issue, The Mongoose. On October 30, 2009 the second issue, Irina, was released.
, GameCube, Xbox
, the PC
, and the Apple Macintosh. The plot of the game is an adaption of the first five volumes of the comic series.
, called XIII: The Conspiracy and starring Val Kilmer
and Stephen Dorff
was shown on French premium television channel Canal+
in October 2008. It was shown in other territories in 2009 and is available on DVD
.
In 2011, a 13 episode TV series called XIII: The Series
will be shown in Canada and France. It will star Stuart Townsend
and Aisha Tyler
.
Footnotes
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
series written and drawn by Belgians
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Jean Van Hamme
Jean Van Hamme
Jean Van Hamme is a Belgian novelist and comic book writer. He has written scripts for a number of Belgian/French comic series, including Histoire sans héros, Thorgal, XIII and Largo Winch.-Early years:...
and William Vance
William Vance
William Vance, the pen name of William van Cutsem, born 8 September 1935, is a Belgian comics artist widely known throughout a long career for his distinctive style and work in Franco-Belgian comics.- Biography :...
, revolving around an amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. With its plot inspired by Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
's book The Bourne Identity, XIII was initially serialised in 1984 in Spirou
Spirou (magazine)
Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
, and was later published by Dargaud
Dargaud
Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1943 by Georges Dargaud.Initially, Dargaud published novels for women...
. In 2003, the storyline of the first five volumes was adapted into a video game, also titled XIII
XIII (video game)
XIII is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Ubisoft. It was released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube consoles and the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. The game is based upon the 1984 Belgian XIII comic book series.XIII was developed and published by...
, that was released on several platforms. A XIII
XIII (TV Mini-series)
XIII: The Conspiracy is a Franco-Canadian 2008 TV mini-series based on the Belgian comic book series and game of the same title, originally by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, revolving around an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. The series was directed by Duane Clark,...
TV miniseries starring Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
and Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
was released in 2008, and another 13 episode TV series called XIII - The Series
XIII: The Series
XIII: The Series is a Franco-Canadian TV series that premiered in April 2011 in France and Canada which is based on the Belgian comic book series, originally by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, and the game of the same title. The series revolves around an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover...
starring Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.-Early life and...
and Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler
Aisha N. Tyler is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and author, known for her regular role as Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer and voicing Lana Kane in Archer, as well as her recurring roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and on Friends as Charlie...
premiered on Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
in France on 18 April 2011.
Volumes
Only the first three volumes were translated to English in the initial 1989 run by Catalan CommunicationsCatalan Communications
Catalan Communications was a New York publishing company, operated by Bernd Metz, which mainly focused on English-language translations of European graphic novels, presented in a series of high-quality trade paperbacks.-Company history:...
. In 2005, Alias Comics
Alias Enterprises
Alias Enterprises is a United States publishing company. Their main divisions are Alias Comics and Cross Culture . Based in San Diego, California, it was founded in January 2005 by Brett Burner and Mike S. Miller...
started publishing it as a monthly comics edited for U.S. audiences, but stopped after 5 issues. In 2007, Dabel Brothers Productions
Dabel Brothers Productions
Dabel Brothers Productions is a U.S. publishing company of comic books and graphic novels. It was founded in 2001 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia...
in association with Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
published an uncensored XIII Volume 1 TP collecting the first three albums, and previously released issue #6 free online. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
titles below are translations of the original titles, and may change for the actual albums if and when they are released in English.
Most volumes consisted of three individual issues during the initial run, not otherwise named or numbered.
- The Day of The Black Sun, 1984 (Le jour du soleil noir) ISBN 0-87416-061-8
- Where the Indian WalksWhere the Indian Goes"Where the Indian Goes" is the second volume of theXIII comic series, written by Jean Van Hamme and drawn by William Vance.Originally released in 1985, this volume was one of the few issues that Alias comics released in English in 2005...
, 1985 (Là où va l'Indien...) ISBN 0-87416-081-2 - All the Tears of Hell, 1986 (Toutes les Larmes de l'Enfer) ISBN 0-87416-092-8
- SPADS, 1987 (SPADS) ISBN 0-87416-130-4
- Full Red, 1988 (Rouge Total, "Full Red Alert")
- The Jason Fly File, 1989 (Le Dossier Jason Fly)
- The Night of August 3rd, 1990 (La Nuit du 3 Août)
- Thirteen to One, 1991 (Treize Contre Un)
- For Maria, 1992 (Pour Maria)
- El Cascador, 1994 (El Cascador)
- Three Silver Watches, 1995 (Trois Montres d'Argent)
- The Trial, 1997 (Le Jugement)
- The XIII Mystery: The Investigation, 1999 (L'Enquête)
- Danger to the State, 2000 (Secret Défense, "Top Secret")
- Unleash the Hounds!, 2002 (Lâchez les Chiens !)
- Operation Montechristo, 2004 (Opération Montechristo)
- Maximilian's Gold, 2005 (L'or de Maximilien)
- The Irish Version (La Version Irlandaise), November 2007, drawn by Jean GiraudJean GiraudJean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
, to accompany The Last Round - The Last Round, November 2007 (Le Dernier Round). Last one of this cycle
Storyline
XIII chronicles the adventures of a man, dubbed "XIII", with memory loss who is searching for his past, and a group of his friends who are trying to unravel the mystery of his identity, which is tangled in conspiracies, secrets, and killers who are out to murder him.Volumes 1-5
The series begins with a man washing up on a shore in Peacock Bay in the East Coast of the United StatesEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, suffering from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
, and just the tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
"XIII" on his collarbone to link him to his past. Volumes one through five deal with 'XIII' searching for his identity and his past, only to find himself confronting the "conspiracy of the XX
XX (organization)
The XX or simply The 20 are a fictional organization in both the XIII comic and game.-History:The XX was most likely formed by Number I with help from various other people as a patriotic militia...
" which aims to a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in the United States. They form a closed story arc, ending with the destruction of "the XX".
In the first volume, XIII washes ashore and soon finds himself hunted by assassins for reasons unknown to him. He manages to escape them and collect a photograph of himself in company of a woman, developed by a photograph shop in the city of Eastown. XIII departs to Eastown, where he identifies the woman on the photograph as Kim Rowland, widow of U.S. Army Captain Steve Rowland. Going to Kim Rowland's address, XIII finds a hidden message left by Kim saying that someone nicknamed "the Mongoose" has found track of her and that she will wait for XIII "where the Indian goes". Once again hunted by killers, XIII is rescued by the Colonel Amos, a government agent investigating the murder of President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William Sheridan. Colonel Amos has a video footage showing XIII killing the President and so is sure he has caught the assassin, but he still ignores its real identity. XIII manages to escape, and on his run, is confronted by the Mongoose, the chief of the killers hunting XIII.
In the second volume, XIII's search for Kim Rowland leads to his capture by army General Carrington, who identifies XIII as Steve Rowland, Kim Rowland's husband and former member of a special operation unit called SPADS (Special Assault and Destroying Sections) Carrington created and commanded when Rowland was supposedly killed in an helicopter crash two years before. "Rowland" is returned to his home in Southbourg by Carrington's aide, Lieutenant Jones. While his father, Jeremie Rowland, a rich land owner, and other relatives express no doubt about his identity, XIII is disappointed to not find Kim there. Amos comes to meet XIII and still holds him as his prime suspect as his fingerprints were found on the sniper rifle that shot President Sheridan. But as XIII's amnesia prevents him to be of any use to find who has sponsored Sheridan's assassination, Amos lets XIII go looking for Kim Rowland because as she's hiding, he suspects she knows something important. XIII finally manages to find "where the Indian goes", but is tricked by Jeremie Rowland's young wife Felicity. Felicity kills Jeremie Rowland and Steve's uncle Matt, implicating XIII for the murders, in the aim to inherit of Jeremy's fortune. XIII nevertheless escapes the police with Carrington's and Lieutenant Jones' help, and meets with Kim in her hiding place. Kim reveals to him she is tattooed as well, wearing tattoo number XVII, that she doesn't know XIII real name, who is in fact no Steve Rowland. Kim disappears as XIII is arrested by the police, tried and found guilty for the murder of the Rowlands, and sentenced to maximum security prison.
The third volume finds XIII in a facility for the criminally insane. Meanwhile Colonel Amos, pursuing its investigation, begin to realize that XIII is not Steve Rowland but a body double
Body double
A body double is a general term for someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character in any recorded visual medium, in shots where the character's body is shown but the face is either not visible or shown indistinctly, or in shots where the image of the credited actor's face is joined,...
. He so assumes that Steve Rowland was really killed in action and that XIII endured plastic surgery, assassinated President Sheridan, and the Mongoose tried to kill him to leave the investigators a body to be identified as Steve Rowland to drive the investigation into a dead end. Colonel Amos requests Carrington's help to identify people having been trained as top-level special operators and fitting XIII's physique, in the aim to find out XIII's real identity. Carrington provides the papers of about twenty people, one of them, a Ross Tanner, is missing since two years. Amos decides to leave XIII in prison to have him at hand and have him treated to disrupt its amnesia. The treatment fails, and the Mongoose tries to have XIII killed in the prison. To evade Mongoose's killer, XIII attempts an evasion which fails but Carrington and Jones manage to breakout XIII.
Volume four begins with Colonel Amos finding that Carrington invented the Tanner identity, and suspects him to be part of the conspiracy to kill President Sheridan. XIII, under the name of Ross Tanner, has been hidden by Carrington in a SPADS training facility in the fictitious country of San Miguel. Pursuing its check of files, Colonel Amos finds that in the grave of a Jason Fly was in fact the body of the real Captain Steve Rowland, not killed in an helicopter crash two years before but by bullets shortly after the assassination of President Sheridan. Assuming now that Rowland was the real assassin, Amos is confused about XIII real role but exposes Judge Allenby, who once identified one body in helicopter crash as the one of Rowland and is now chief of the investigation, as one of the conspirators, wearing the number VI. Amos asks Allenby the name of the Number I of the conspiracy, but Allenby is killed by a Mongoose's killer who is about to kill Amos when he is shot by Kim Rowland. Meanwhile a female SPADS Sergeant named Betty Barnowsky reveals to XIII she has seen once Steve Rowland in Eastown after his alleged death in helicopter crash, in company with SPADS Colonel Seymour McCall, thus exposed as member of the conspiracy. XIII, Barnowsky and Jones escape an assassination attempt by Colonel McCall, but end lost in San Miguel jungle.
Kim Rowland takes Amos to FBI director Carl Heideger and General Carrington who reveal that after faking his death in the helicopter crash, Steve Rowland contacted his wife Kim and had her member of the conspiracy. Kim, not sharing the conspiracy ideology and herself a former FBI agent, secretly alerted his former boss Heideger, who was nevertheless unable to prevent the assassination of President Sheridan. Steve Rowland was shot by the Mongoose to end all investigations to uncover the conspiracy, but he escaped badly wounded and died shortly after telling Kim what happened. Heideger and Carrington then came up with a plan to make the conspiracy of the XX believe that Steve Rowland had survived to attract Mongoose's killers in the hope to arrest them and follow their trail to the conspirators. They had Jason Fly turned into Steve Rowland's double, but soon after he disappeared (he was shot, at this point lost his memory, where the story begins). Kim Rowland is also revealed to be Carrington's daughter.
At the start of volume five, XIII, Jones, and Barnowsky kidnap Marquis de Préseau, a rich land owner, to steal his jet to fly back to the USA. Meanwhile Carrington and Heideger have been arrested by the conspirators, as they prepare to take over the country during a large-scale military exercise. XIII and the women meet with Colonel Amos, who brings them into contact with Walter Sheridan, brother of the assassinated President William Sheridan and himself candidate to the presidency.
Sheridan helps XIII infiltrate the military center of operations, and together with President Galbrain they manage to stop the conspiracy at the last moment. The entire conspiracy, with the exception of the illustrious Number I, has been killed or captured. Walter Sheridan is elected president. Kim Rowland remains missing for unknown reasons. At the end of the story arc XIII believes he has found his old identity as Jason Fly, and is prepared to continue his life normally, even if his memories have not yet returned.
Volumes 6-8
In the following volumes XIII takes up the investigation about his past. Volumes six and seven bring XIII to Greenfalls, a snowy town in the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, where the story revolves around the fate of his father in the McCarthian
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
1950's. XIII learns that his father, Jonathan Fly, was murdered by the local Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
chapter, after they found out Fly's real identity was Jonathan MacLane, a "red" journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who had to flee after suffering under McCarthy's witch hunt. The Mongoose still tracks XIII with the blessing of Jonathan MacLane's assassins, but XIII evades the manhunt, get justice for the murder of his father and manages to arrest the Mongoose, who reveals that he was on Number I's boat when he shot the bullet that made XIII amnesic, but no further information about Number I. The story ends and with a good idea that he has finally found his true identity as Jason MacLane.
In volume eight, XIII is approached by President Sheridan to become a special agent, charged with finding the still at large Number I. The Mongoose escapes from custody. XIII tracks down Kim Rowland, guessing she hides because she knows the identity of the Number I. He discovers that one of the boats close to the spot where he was found amnesic is Walter Sheridan's yacht. Meanwhile, Jones investigates further, and discovers that Kim Rowland had a love affair with Sheridan and had a child with him. After transmitting this information to XIII, they become convinced that Wally Sheridan was, in fact, Number I, and used the conspiracy of the XX to have his brother killed and later had the conspiracy exposed so he himself become president. Walter Sheridan had the child kidnapped to force Kim to marry Steve Rowland, to report the conspiracy to Heideger, to betray Jason Fly/MacLane when Heideger's plan threatened to expose him as Number I and have him trapped on his yacht where he was shot by the Mongoose. After trying to release Kim Rowland from an island where they believe she is sequestered, XIII and Jones, along with Kim, are caught by the Mongoose who is on Sheridan's yacht, and explodes it. XIII manages to rescue Jones only, and Kim Rowland is lost and presumed dead.
XIII finally faces Walter Sheridan, exposed as Number I but XIII has not any evidence or witness against him. Sheridan won't try to assassinate XIII to avoid a new investigation that might lead to expose him, and XIII and Jones leave the country.
Volumes 9-12
In the following volumes the action takes place in and around Costa Verde, a small fictional nation in Central AmericaCentral America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
where XIII is led to believe he once led a revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
under the identity of "El Cascador", although El Cascador is supposedly dead. XIII gets involved with revolutionary Maria de los Santos, who claims to have been his wife. During the 10th episode, after freeing her from a prison from which she was awaiting execution, she confirms him to be her husband.
During the revolution XIII met up with Irish-American expat Sean Mullway, who claims to be XIII's real father. However, he also confirms XIII's identity as Jason MacLane. The history of XIII's Irish descent is revealed, and XIII learns that his mother was the sister of Giordino, who accidentally murdered her. The Giordino's are revealed as a Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
family. At the end of the volume, XIII is offered amnesty by the American ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, who explains that XIII's help is needed: Carrington has apparently gone insane.
In volume twelve XIII, the corrupt American president Sheridan is kidnapped by General Carrington who has learnt that Sheridan ordered his daughter Kim's death. Carrington and Amos have XIII and Jones capture the Mongoose to get further evidence against Sheridan. In a televised "trial" Sheridan is revealed to the American public as the conspirator, with XIII and the Mongoose testifying. In the aftermath of the event the NSA director Giordino accidentally kills Sheridan, after Sheridan has killed the Mongoose.
Volume thirteen (XIII) is a special issue, where two journalists retrace the first twelve issues, clarifying and expanding the storyline.
Volumes 14-19
While in exile in Costa Verde, XIII and his father Mullway decide to attempt to find a treasure hidden somewhere in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
by their ancestors. Giordino, meanwhile, fabricates evidence revealing XIII as Seamus O'Neill, an IRA operative who trained under Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. As O'Neill, XIII is wanted by the USA, but again manages to escape. He also survives an assassination by Irina Svetlanova, who has taken over the Mongoose's operation. After many setbacks the treasure is found, and then lost again. Meanwhile Giordino is finally removed from duty by the new President, who has received evidence from XIII and Mullway revealing Giordino as not only connected to the Mafia, but also as the true killer of Walter Sheridan.
Volumes eighteen and nineteen are the last albums written by Van Hamme. Volume eighteen The Irish Version was drawn by Jean Giraud
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
otherwise known as Mœbius. It figures as a story within the story, and it is referred to as part of the plot in volume nineteen The Last Round. This story is the prequel to the initial story arc, and finally solves all mysteries surrounding XIII's identity.
Popularity
First released in 1984 as a serial in the popular Belgian magazine SpirouSpirou (magazine)
Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
, XIII was an instant hit among Spirou readers. The first three episodes were released as a single hardback volume by Dargaud
Dargaud
Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1943 by Georges Dargaud.Initially, Dargaud published novels for women...
the same year, a trend continued for later issues. By the time of the eighth issue, Thirteen against one, sales of the hardback had reached 140,000 copies, and the publisher belatedly realized that they had a bestseller on their hands. Promotion started, including a special drawing by the French national lottery in 2000 with 1,500,000 tickets and a €13,000 grand prize.
Influence
Also published in Spirou was the series Soda about a New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
cop. An adventure published in 1999, Dieu seul le sait (Only God Knows), also has the titular character losing his memory, albeit for just a short time. References to the number "13" and other connections to the series appear throughout the story.
The Black Cat
Black Cat (manga)
is a Japanese Shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was originally serialized in Japan in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump. It was later collected in twenty tankōbon volumes from January 11, 2001 to October 9, 2004. The series was adapted into a twenty-four episode anime...
manga series, first published in 2000, has numerous similarities with XIII. The main character, Train Heartnet, is known as Chronos Number XIII in his job as a Sweeper or assassin. Train fails a mission in Bourne Identity-like fashion, winds up in conflict with Chronos, and must stop a massive conspiracy.
Translations
Originally in French, XIII was simultaneously translated into DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, and translations in other languages such as German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
quickly followed.
In English
- In 1989, XIII was first released in English as Code XIII, but after the first three volumes, publication ended in 1990 when the publisher (Catalan/ComcatCatalan CommunicationsCatalan Communications was a New York publishing company, operated by Bernd Metz, which mainly focused on English-language translations of European graphic novels, presented in a series of high-quality trade paperbacks.-Company history:...
) went out of business. - In 2005, Alias ComicsAlias EnterprisesAlias Enterprises is a United States publishing company. Their main divisions are Alias Comics and Cross Culture . Based in San Diego, California, it was founded in January 2005 by Brett Burner and Mike S. Miller...
started publishing the title as a series of 32-page monthly comics edited for U.S. audiences. Five issues were released, but #6 was "Cancelled by Publisher" in February 2006. Each issue covered half an album.
- In 2006, the series went to Dabel Brothers ProductionsDabel Brothers ProductionsDabel Brothers Productions is a U.S. publishing company of comic books and graphic novels. It was founded in 2001 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia...
. They released the #6 online for free, and the first 144-page volume was released on February 7, 2007 with Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, reprinting the first 3 albums.
- Cinebook is publishing the 19 books at the rate of one every two months in the UK. Note, on other continents, the volumes are released three months later. The following volumes have been released to date:
- The Day of the Black Sun (May 2010) ISBN 9781849180399
- Where the Indian Walks (July 2010) ISBN 9781849180405
- All the Tears of Hell (September 2010) ISBN 9781849180511
- SPADS (November 2010) ISBN 9781849180580
- Full Red (January 2011) ISBN 9781849180658
- The Jason Fly Case (March 2011) ISBN 9781849180733
- The Night of August Third (May 2011) ISBN 9781849180788
- Thirteen to One (July 2011) ISBN 9781849180894
- For Maria (Sept 2011) ISBN 9781849180931
- El Cascador (Nov 2011)
Tamil
In India, Tamil Nadu 'XIII' has been published by Lion Comics, Sivakasi in Tamil Language since the beginning of the series with its original publication. Lion Comics announced they will publish complete volume (1-19).And they had published the complete volumes on Oct 2010.
Portuguese
- In 1988, XIII began publication in Portugal by Meribérica-Líber. The first three volumes were published over a two-year period, and the series returned in 1997 with the fourth album, after a seven-year hiatus. Meribérica published the first nine albums until it went out of business in 2004.
- In 1990, Portuguese newspaper Público (Portugal) started publishing XIII in its Sunday supplement 'Publico Junior'. Eventually, the first 3 books were published in this manner, before 'Publico Junior' was discontinued in 1992.
- In 2006, XIII is being published in Brazil by Panini Comics. Panini is publishing XIII as a monthly series, with two episodes in each issue. Previously available in Brazil were the Portuguese editions published by Meribérica-Liber.
The first issue The Day of The Black Sun was named O Dia do Sol Negro, the literal translation. The first issue also included a second episode, named Onde Vai o Índio... (Where the Indian Walks), published in May 2006. All Brazilian issues are composed of two albums, except for issue 7, which included the original thirteenth volume, a double-sized album, alone.
Serbian
- In 1980s first 3 volumes in monthly Super magazine from publisher Dečje Novine.
- In 1990 first 6 volumes in monthly Gigant magazine from publisher Dečje Novine. Throughout the decade "Politikin zabavnik" magazine also reprinted most of the volumes, as part of its comic segment.
- 2002-2009, the first 19 volumes were published through Marketprint.
Future
Jean Van Hamme has declared that he will not continue to write the series, but William Vance is interested in continuing it with another writer. Yves SenteYves Sente
Yves Sente is a Belgian comic book editor and author. He is known as writer for Blake and Mortimer and Thorgal.-Biography:Yves Sente was born in Uccle near Brussels in 1964...
, who has already taken over writing Thorgal
Thorgal
Thorgal is a critically acclaimed Belgian comic book series by the Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and the Polish graphic artist Grzegorz Rosiński. It first appeared in serial form in the "Tintin" magazine in 1977, and has been published in hardcover volumes by Le Lombard from 1980 on...
from Van Hamme, is interested to continue the series. He was contacted by William Vance and said he'd propose a story to Van Hamme, but no agreement has been reached yet.
Spin-off
A separate comic series called XIII Mystery, which follows and elaborates on some of the supporting characters from the XIII comic series, began by publisher DargaudDargaud
Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1943 by Georges Dargaud.Initially, Dargaud published novels for women...
on October 3, 2008 with the release of the first issue, The Mongoose. On October 30, 2009 the second issue, Irina, was released.
Video game
XIII was adapted as a 2003 video game released for PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, GameCube, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, and the Apple Macintosh. The plot of the game is an adaption of the first five volumes of the comic series.
TV series
A XIII 2-part TV mini-seriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, called XIII: The Conspiracy and starring Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
and Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
was shown on French premium television channel Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
in October 2008. It was shown in other territories in 2009 and is available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
In 2011, a 13 episode TV series called XIII: The Series
XIII: The Series
XIII: The Series is a Franco-Canadian TV series that premiered in April 2011 in France and Canada which is based on the Belgian comic book series, originally by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, and the game of the same title. The series revolves around an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover...
will be shown in Canada and France. It will star Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.-Early life and...
and Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler
Aisha N. Tyler is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and author, known for her regular role as Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer and voicing Lana Kane in Archer, as well as her recurring roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and on Friends as Charlie...
.
Sources
- XIII publications in Spirou, French Tintin, BoDoï BDoubliées
Footnotes